Shortening attachment for reins



E F. JOHNSON. SHORTENING ATTACHMENT FOR REINS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, I920.

1,352,812. Patented Sept. 14, 1920.

nvamtoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL F. JOHNSON, OF LAMBERTON, MINNESOTA.

SI-IORTENING ATTACHMENT, non REINS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 14, 1920.

Application filed March 27, 1920. Serial No; 369,191. I

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL F. JoHNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lamberton, in the county of Redwood, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shortening Attachments for Reins; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in harness and particularly to devices for use in connection with driving reins.

The principal object of the present i11- vention is to provide a novel and improved device by means of which the excess in length of the reins can be taken up.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved device of this character which is simple in construction, and which is capable of use on any reins to take up the excess to any desired degree.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a rein show ing the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the adjusting device removed from the rein.

When the ordinary reins are in use in connection with agricultural implements or machines, such as plows, harrows, mowers, cultivators, rakes, and the like, there is found an excess of from three to five feet, and it is the especial object of the present invention to provide a novel and efficient device whereby this excess can be taken up so that it will be out of the way of the driver.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawing, 10 represents the rein in connection with which the shortening device is used. The shortening device comprises a length of leather strap of approximately the same width and thickness as the rein, as shown at 11, and connected to the opposite ends of this length of strap are the loop buckles 12 and 13. It will be noted that the buckle 12 is slightly larger than the buckle 13. The rein is formed with a plurality of holes 14: for the tongues of the buckles, will be presently explained. It wiill be noted, further, that the buckles are ar-- ranged to engage with the rein from opposite sides, that is the tongue of the buckle 12 extends away from one of the flat faces of the strap 11 while the tongue of the buckle 13 extends away from the other flat face of the strap.

In the operation of the device the rein is slipped through the buckle 12 and through the loop 12 thereof, and the device is slipped forwardly on the rein to the desired distance. passed through the loop 13 of the buckle 13, and into engagement with the tongue thereof. Then, by moving the buckle 12 for- The rear end of the rein is then wardly or backwardly on the rein, the excess of the rein can be formed into a loop of a length equal to approximately one-half of that of the excess in length of the rein. Thus the driver is not annoyed with a great length of rein that is not needed, and which ordinarily becomes entangled in the machine or in the harness and requires time to release the same.

What is claimed is:

The combination with a driving rein having alongitudinal series of openings at the driving end and a series of openings intermediate its length, of a device for taking up the excess of length of the rein including a strap having a buckle on each end extending in opposite directions with respect to the strap, one buckle being arranged for adjustable engagement with the intermediate portion of the rein and the other buckle arranged for adjustable engagement with the driving end of the rein.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

EMIL F. J OHNSON. 

